Truth and Consequences
by Berrica
Summary: Peter knew.  There was a nagging sense of something wrong that he just couldn't seem to shake.  He had learned long ago to trust those feelings.  SPOILERS for 2x23 and slight spoilers for 3x02.


Warning: SPOILERS for 2x23, "Over There, Part 2," and 3x02, "The Box," which, considering the intricate nature of the plot of this show, pretty much means spoilers for every single episode ever shown. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. It only means there are spoilers for half the episodes.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Fringe. I wish I did, but someone else already has dibs, and they won't share.

AN: Ok, first of all, I LOVE THIS SHOW! Darn you JJ Abrams et al for finding so many ways to give us what we want without _really_ giving us what we want. How are they so good at that?

Second, the minute that lawyer got to Walter's part of the will, I so knew Bell was going to leave him the company. And can I just say that the Walter/Astrid interaction this episode was amazing. I'm not actually a fan of them as a couple, considering he's more than twice her age, but she makes such an amazing caretaker for him. It was adorable.

Third... well, here, I'll just give you this.

* * *

"_The more I think about being over there, the less real it seems. But you? You still feel real."_

Peter knew. The knowledge crept up on him slowly, not in a blinding flash of realization, but the effect was the same. He knew.

He thought about what happened right before they crossed back over from the other world, the events leading up to that moment. It was starting to blur in his memory, to fade. Olivia had come to get him. She had been very persuasive. They had arrived at the Opera House. Bell had sent him in with his father to power up the crossover device while he and Olivia held off the natives that had come to stop them. What Bell thought he could do against them, Peter wasn't sure, but he went along with it.

They had just finished getting everything ready when a very large explosion shook the entire building. Not long after that, the other two came in. Bell seemed somewhat dazed, and had a small cut on his forehead, but otherwise they seemed fine. But then he had sacrificed himself to get them home, so he wasn't around to question about what had happened. The only one to ask was Olivia.

When they got back, everything seemed... almost idyllic. He and Olivia were finally on the same page, Astrid was her normal, cheerful self, even Walter seemed tolerable. But there was a nagging sense of something wrong that he just couldn't seem to shake. He had learned long ago to trust those feelings.

It took him a while to figure out what it was that was bothering him. There was a hesitation here, an out of place comment there, a silence where there should have been none, a mannerism he didn't recognize. Little things, really, which is why it took him so long to catch on. When the notion first occurred to him, he dismissed it as ridiculous, impossible even. But the idea would not go away. The more he thought about it, the more he remembered that last moment before coming back, and the dazed look on Bell's face. It all added up to one thing.

He was glad he was alone when he finally decided he wasn't crazy for even thinking it. He wasn't sure he could have disguised the pain and the anger when he realized the implications. After everything they had been through, for this to happen was simply tragic. He knew what he had to do. His determination smothered even his despair. After a lifetime of cons, he would be pulling the most important one yet.

He knew.

Olivia wasn't really Olivia, and he knew it.

And he was going to get her back.

"_We're talking about two universes here. Two of each one of us. At this point, would anything really surprise you?"_

_

* * *

_AN: So, what do you think? The quotes at the beginning and end were made by Peter during tonight's episode. They were what really convinced me that he knows about Olivia. They have such a double meaning, such a subtext. Anyway, I would love a review telling me what you think. I'm so excited for the new season. It's going to be awesome.

AN2: *sigh* My apologies about some of the formatting. FF keeps oh-so-helpfully taking away my dividers. Thanks for that.


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